Four Seasons honors traditional, familiar tastes in Chinese food

Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant has three menus with one goal — provide big choices no matter the palate of the customer.

For folks who like Chinese food popular with many Americans, dishes such as orange chicken and broccoli beef are abundant. Those looking for traditional Chinese dishes can enjoy Peking duck, fried pig intestines and much more.

The restaurant also serves a wide variety of dim sum — another traditional Chinese cuisine that features bite-sized portions of food served in small steam baskets or on small plates.

Each option has its own menu.

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Customers can choose dim sum from a cart that circulates through the restaurant on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. On other days, they order off the menu.

Meanwhile, customers choosing from the traditional Chinese menu will find items listed in English and Chinese.

“Some of the older people don't read English. The Chinese makes it easier for them,” Lee said.

The traditional Chinese menu and the American Chinese menu have items in common. For example, Chicken Lettuce Wraps ($11.59) and Jelly Fish ($12.59) are offered as appetizers on both menus. It's the same for hot and sour soup ($8.99, the serving feeds more than one person).

However, Exquisite Flavor Dishes are listed only on the traditional Chinese menu. Two of the offerings are Szechuan spicy style fish fillet and beef short ribs with eggplant. Both are $12.59.

Also exclusive to the traditional Chinese menu is congee, a type of rice porridge. Some congee offerings feature meats, including minced pork with preserved egg, sliced beef, salty pig, and seafood. Prices are $9.59 and $10.59.

Part of the pleasure at Four Seasons is having customers learn about traditional dishes they didn't know about. For example, one of Lee's children plays on a youth basketball team, and other parents on the team tried dried scallop egg white fried rice, at her husband's suggestion. They are now fans of the dish.

Minced beef fried rice, curry seafood fried rice and salted fish chicken fried rice are some of the other offerings.

The American Chinese menu features several lunch and dinner specials that include multiple items for a set price. The lunch specials cost $7.99, and the dinner specials range from $9.59 (for one person) to $12.59 to $15.99 per person for parties of two more.

The menu has a variety of beef, chicken, pork, seafood and vegetable dishes. Familiar dishes such as Kung Pao beef, shrimp and chicken are among the choices. Other choices (and this isn't a complete list by any means) are asparagus beef, Mongolian beef, cashew chicken, garlic chicken, string bean shrimp, and sweet & sour fish fillet. Prices range from $8.99 (Chinese sauteed broccoli with oyster or garlic sauce) to $21.99 (a whole steamed or fried chicken).

Four Seasons also offers party trays in small, medium and large sizes. Prices range from $25 to $75.

Four Seasons is at 342 N. Clovis Ave. The phone number is (559) 324-8438. The restaurant is on Facebook. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.